Texas Wineries

Let's just address the cowboy in the room: Texas is not Napa. But Texas would like to remind you that it's the size of France and Germany combined, grows more commercial grape varieties than any other wine region on the planet, ranks 4th nationally in number of wineries, and produced $24.39 billion in total economic impact last year. So maybe pump the brakes on the condescension. The modern Texas wine story started in 1975 when cattle ranchers Ed and Susan Auler drove through French wine country, looked at the Texas Hill Country's limestone hills, and said — basically — 'we could do this here.' Simultaneously, a pair of Texas Tech professors were planting an experimental vineyard outside Lubbock that would become Llano Estacado, now the largest premium winery in the state. From 20-ish wineries in the 1980s to 617 today. That's not a trend. That's a freight train with a wine glass in its hand. What makes Texas genuinely interesting is how weird the geography is. You've got the Texas High Plains — a flat, windswept plateau at 3,000–4,100 feet that quietly grows over 80% of all Texas wine grapes and has more in common with Mendoza than Austin. You've got the Davis Mountains near Marfa, with elevations up to 8,300 feet and volcanic soils that produce natural, minimalist wines that would feel right at home in Jura. And then you've got the Hill Country — 9 million acres of limestone hills, cedar, and live oak between Austin and San Antonio — which is where the tasting rooms are, the lavender fields are, the Instagrammable vistas are, and frankly where most of the fun is. The signature varieties here aren't Cabernet and Chardonnay. They're Tempranillo (Texas's true calling card), Viognier (the default white that actually thrives here), Tannat, Mourvèdre, Albaríno, and Aglianico. In 2025, William Chris Vineyards became the first Texas winery ever ranked on the World's 50 Best Vineyards — landing at #31. Calais Winery landed on James Suckling's Top 100 USA wines. The state won 635 gold-level awards at international competitions in one year alone. Texas wine is no longer a novelty. It's an actual scene, with producers doing boundary-pushing work in every corner of an enormous state. Go. Drink boldly. And yes — everything here is bigger, including the tasting pours.